Paws Up for Love

by Stephanie Rowe

  "It's not that simple, and you're no rat, but it's the way it has to be. When your brothers were coming at me today with their inflatable baseball bats—" he grinned at the memory. How cute. Not. "—I realized they were right. I have no business getting involved with you when this thing with Buddy's still hanging over us. So, let's just end it now. Part as friends."

  "Friends who've seen each other naked. Sort of hard to forget." She scowled and tried not to listen to the sound of her heart cracking like the ice flows on the brink of summer.

  He nodded. "That's for damn sure."

  Ah hah! Was that a tinge of regret she heard? Absolutely! It was most definitely not wishful thinking or her imagination. She was grabbing ahold of that little nugget and not letting go.

  Evan wanted her.

  Clear as a bell.

  Anyone else in the room would have heard the unspoken plea to help free him to fall in love with her.

  No problem.

  She could accommodate.

  That's what warriors did. Rescue people in jeopardy.

  I shall save you, my love!

  First step underway. "So, want to go get some ice cream?"

  He narrowed his eyes and studied her suspiciously. "Why?"

  Was she that transparent? "Just a simple offer to go get ice cream. Why are you all paranoid? Think I'm going to sic my brothers on you or something?

  "I'm not sure." He peered closer. "What's on the agenda besides ice cream?"

  Well, stomp on her frittata and ruin her day. How did he do that? Men weren't supposed to be perceptive. She should distract him with sex. Men were never much good at concentrating when that topic was afloat. "Actually, I was hoping to bring the ice cream back here and smear it all over my body and convince you to lick it off."

  He looked dutifully startled by that remark, and his eyes darkened about ten shades. Phew. She was feeling mighty hot as well. Maybe she'd have to buy an extra pint just in case...

  "I thought I just said that part of our relationship was over," he growled, but his eyes were roaming her body as if he had no control over himself.

  Mmm...delicious. He was definitely worth fighting for. "So you did. I was just testing you." She grinned. "You failed."

  "Josie.."

  She held up her hand. "Oh, quit bellyaching. I'm just giving you a hard time. Let's go get ice cream and try to be friends. After all, I still have to live here, don't I? I have to shower, knowing you're across the hall and could walk in at any time and see me naked, with soap rushing over my body..."

  "I'll meet you in the car." He grabbed his car keys and bolted out of the kitchen, the tendons in his neck flexing.

  And he actually believed he was over her.

  Fat chance of that, Dorsett. You are so not over me. And it's just going to get worse. Grinning, she grabbed Max's leash and whistled. Yes, this just might be fun.

  Chapter 30

  It was almost forty minutes later by the time they pulled up to the ice cream store. Evan parked next to Monica's car, prompting Monica to dive to the floor so Evan wouldn't see her lurking in the getaway car.

  They walked into the ice cream store, Evan heading over to the counter, while Josie scanned the room. Where was he? They were late. He must be here. Then she looked again, and her throat caught.

  Buddy was two people ahead of Evan in line.

  Did she really have the courage to do this? Interfere in the lives of two men who hadn't been able to sort out their differences on their own?

  She couldn't interfere for her own benefit.

  But for them? For Evan? He deserved it. And even Buddy had shown a decent side. He deserved it too. Or maybe not. Okay, so she wasn't exactly feeling kindly toward him yet, but she could work on it.

  She glanced out the window where Monica was peering in through the glass, shading her eyes against the reflection. Monica gave her a thumbs-up, and Josie gave her a thumbs sideways.

  What if it didn't work? What if Evan and Buddy attacked each other, wrestled each other to the ground in violent fisticuffs, and got arrested for assault and battery?

  Then they might have to rethink their plans.

  But, what if Evan and Buddy fell into each other's arms sobbing with joy? Then she'd probably get a golden halo.

  Or maybe she could just sneak out before she had to make a decision and let the fates decide...

  "Josie? What do you want?" Evan shouted across the store, and Buddy's head whipped around.

  First his eyes landed on Josie, then he looked to see who had shouted her name.

  And then she saw him notice Evan.

  And then Evan turned to see who she was looking at.

  And then Evan saw Buddy.

  Talk about feeling like time stood still. Yeesh.

  Neither man moved, both men donned an indecipherable expression of bland emotionless attitude, and both men's hands balled into fists.

  And they said nothing.

  Just stood and stared at each other like they were tree stumps.

  Okay, time to intervene.

  "Evan, you remember Buddy? Buddy, your beloved brother Evan."

  Still, nothing.

  They simply stared at each other.

  Okay, so maybe men weren't the emotional softies that women were. If she were thrown back into the path of a long-lost sister, she'd certainly say something. "How about a greeting? 'Hi, how you been? Long time, no see.' That sort of thing."

  Then Evan nodded at Buddy, and Josie relaxed. Finally, a breakthrough. Buddy nodded back, and Josie sat down in a nearby chair, ready for the emotional outpouring sure to follow.

  "Let's go." Evan turned away suddenly, grabbing Josie's arm to drag her to the door.

  "Go? You can't go." Josie tried to twist her arm free. "You guys are supposed to bond and reconnect."

  "You're going with him?" Buddy's voice was low and quiet.

  Evan dropped her arm as if it were scalding hot. Oh, come on. This was not working out the way it was supposed to. "She's your woman," Evan said.

  Buddy nodded.

  "Um...excuse me?" Josie waved her hand. "I'm not Buddy's woman."

  Neither man looked at her. Instead, they stared at each other, apparently doing some invisible male dominance dance or a psychic exchange of ownership papers, because after a moment, Evan turned and started to leave...without her.

  Not okay! "Evan!"

  He stopped. "What?"

  She set her hands on her hips. "Where are you going?"

  "Home."

  "And you're going to leave me here?"

  Buddy's arm slipped around her shoulders. "I'll take care of you."

  Yuck! Josie flipped his arm off her and stepped away. "Are both of you dense? I'm not with Buddy."

  For an instant, she thought she saw a flicker of something in Evan's eyes. Regret? Indigestion? But he just shrugged. "You'll work it out."

  Argh! She dove after Evan and caught his wrist just as he reached the door. "Don't you want to talk to Buddy? Reconcile? Hug? Do some weird brotherly handshake you guys made up when you were six?"

  Evan glanced over her shoulder in Buddy's direction, then shrugged. "I have to go."

  "No, you don't." No way was she letting this miracle reunion end like this. "You have to stay and talk to him." She grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him back toward Buddy, but it was like trying to drag a school bus. Why did he have to be so strong? It was extremely inconvenient at times. And she certainly didn't want to touch Buddy to drag him toward Evan.

  Fine. She'd do this audibly.

  She cleared her throat and started shouting, loud enough for each of them to hear over the murmur of kids and ice cream scoopers and frappe machines. "Hey! Evan! Don't you want to tell Buddy that you love him and that you've spent the last six years feeling like you failed him?"

  "Josie! Shut up!"

  Yeah, right. As if she were that obedient. "And Buddy, don't you want to apologize to Evan for being so ungrateful?"

  Buddy narrowed his eyes
at her and said nothing.

  "And then don't you guys want to hug and start life over with all the baggage cleared out?" Geez, her throat was hurting from screaming. Perhaps she was giving it a little too much oomph, given that the entire place was staring at her as if she was quite insane, especially since there was utter silence in the place now, so she probably didn't need to be shouting quite so loudly.

  Evan turned and pulled open the door.

  "Hey! I'm not finished!" Oops. The decibels were a little high again, but at least Evan stopped and gave her a...hmm...quite hostile look. Maybe she better finish quickly and hightail it out of here. "I don't love Buddy. I won't marry him and I'm sick of being manipulated as the tool to heal the relationship between you two. Buddy, I'm not your inspiration for getting your life together. Evan is. Always has been, and you're finally old enough to see it. So solve your own issues, and stop putting me in the middle!"

  Both men were looking at her now, and neither of them looked like they were facing a revelation due to her insightful words. In fact, they both looked rather irritated. Groovy.

  Evan finally looked at Buddy and opened his mouth to speak. Hallelujah. Now she was going to see some progress.

  "You love her?"

  "Yeah."

  Evan nodded and walked out.

  She glanced over her shoulder to see Buddy closing in on her fast, looking way too possessive...and was he puckering his lips?

  No way was she staying around to find out.

  Josie bolted through the door, sprinted past Evan, who tried to grab her as she ran by. "Start the car, Monica! Start the car!"

  She vaulted into the passenger seat just as the engine roared to life. "Go!"

  Monica slammed the gearshift into reverse, backing up just as Evan reached the car. He slammed his hands over the trunk. "Get out, Josie. You can't run away."

  She rolled down her window. "I'm not running away. I'm simply off to have a girls' night with my pal Monica."

  "Josie. Get out of the car."

  "Why?" If you tell me you love me, I'm all yours.

  "Because you need to resolve this thing with Buddy."

  Wrong answer. "No. You're the one who has to resolve things with Buddy." She sat back. "Go ahead, Monica."

  "You sure?"

  She nodded, rolling up her window so she couldn't hear Evan declaring her love for Buddy. Why did the man have to be so thick and so moral? Brotherly love. Bah. He loved his brother enough to give up the woman of his dreams, yet he didn't love him enough to speak to him?

  Men made no sense whatsoever.

  Unless she wasn't actually the woman of his dreams and he was delighted at the opportunity to foist her off onto Buddy so he didn't have to deal with her...

  Nah.

  Why admit a possible truth when delusions were so much healthier?

  "He loves me."

  Monica glanced over at her. "Who?"

  "Well...both of them, I guess."

  "Interesting love triangle."

  "Not so interesting. Dreadfully inconvenient."

  "You realize if they reconcile in the parking lot, Evan will be even more determined to make sure you end up with Buddy. He'd never hurt his brother by stealing you."

  "Which would be a big problem if we didn't have our grand plan."

  "Ah, yes. Phase one: reconcile the brothers. Underway."

  "Oh, I think it's done. They're trading beers while watching the Red Sox game right now."

  "Or Evan is on his way home and Buddy is sucking down ice cream by himself on his way to his night custodian job."

  Josie stuck her tongue out at her friend. "What kind of positive thinking is that? They're reconciled. So we embark on phases two and three: to get Evan over his guilt so he can live his life for himself, and to get Buddy to reject me."

  "Glad we have such attainable goals."

  "What? Do we have a naysayer? Really?"

  Monica slowed at a stoplight and turned to Josie. "They weren't exactly all warm and fuzzy with each other. I'm thinking maybe all these family dynamics are a little more than we know how to deal with."

  For an instant, Josie felt herself sag against the seat, but she immediately paddled her cheeks with her palms and sat back up. "No! I will not be taken down by the situation." Must stay positive. Must stay positive. Must stay positive. "I was unemployed, broke and homeless, and I managed to overcome that. No way am I losing this battle."

  Monica grinned. "You're not quite as pathetic as you used to be."

  Josie tapped her temple. "It's all about elevating your delusions to a powerful position so you can't distinguish your miserable reality from your wonderful fantasies. They all meld together, and you forget to be depressed and despondent about your life." She closed her eyes and held out her hands, palm up. "I am gorgeous. I am rich. Men love me. I never fall in love with the wrong men. I never crave food that is bad for me. I never make mistakes or poor decisions when it comes to my personal life. Everything I do works out right. I am a goddess."

  "All right, then, Goddess. Lead the way to eternal happiness and satisfaction."

  Josie nodded. "Right at the next light, and then we'll go from there."

  And they would indeed, for no goddess would ever be caught without a plan.

  Chapter 31

  Phase two, step one: bolt out of the house first thing in the morning so she didn't have to deal with Evan. No need to let him know he was the target of a brilliant mission.

  Excuses to stay out of the house: get her life back in order, just in case her magnificent strategy failed and she needed to find a way to support herself. After all, she couldn't exactly accept Evan's money for tuition, and she wasn't going to keep living there if it didn't work out...

  Cheery thought.

  Not.

  Clear mind.

  Start over.

  Okay, let's see. Rephrase...

  Excuses to stay out of the house: get her life back so when Evan finally came begging on his knees for her to love him forever, she would be able to say yes and have it be purely out of love because she was financially secure with a place to live.

  Ah. Much better.

  Phase two, step two: go to the clinic to get her job back.

  With Buddy's apologies still ringing in Alice's ears, it had taken only ten minutes to sort out the details, and Alice had even had the decency to apologize. And she'd even promised to avoid putting Buddy and Josie on the same shifts.

  Josie was definitely going to milk the guilt thing. She deserved it! Fired after years of faithful service...total injustice.

  Phase two, step three: visit the financial aid office to try to get student loans. She'd been determined to minimize the amount of debt she went into, which is why she'd waited to enroll until she had a decent savings...but obviously Buddy had nixed that little plan.

  Evil Dorsett Monster.

  No more waiting.

  She was almost fifty and running out of time.

  Well, maybe not quite fifty. But closer to fifty than zero and the clock was still ticking.

  She'd just have to accumulate loads of debt and pay it off until she was old and withering at a hundred and thirty-seven years of age. But, hey. She had a goal and was committed.

  Josie shifted, next in line for one of the financial wizards who would determine her future.

  "Next."

  Josie scooted across the worn carpet and launched herself into the chair, startling the very serious looking young woman. Oops. Better to appear calm. "Hi, I need some student loans."

  "Right. Have you filled out the forms?"

  Josie handed them across the desk.

  The woman named Estelle Evans, according to her name plate, whistled softly. "Are you planning to take this much out each year?"

  "Yes."

  "Do you realize how big your loans are going to be?"

  "I'll handle it. I have no problem saving money. I had ninety thousand dollars but I was robbed. Here's the police report." And she was off
and running on her soapbox, wooing Estelle Evans into loaning her the world.

  Was she brilliant or what?

  If she was an Amazon, they'd make her queen of the tribe. Or master warrior. Or commander in chief, or whatever it was they had.

  Three hours later, Josie flopped down on her faded orange couch and tried to make the world disappear. Having Zeus and Max using her back as a wrestling mat did nothing to enable her to drift into a hypnotic trance where she could pretend she was a fairy princess with all the money she needed, men falling at her feet, and a magic wand to zap them all into oblivion.

  "Are you sick?" Evan's voice intruded upon her failed fantasy.

  "No." She didn't lift her head.

  "Injured?" She heard his feet hit the floor and knew he was walking toward her.

  Now, why did her stomach still do those little flip flops of excitement just at the thought of his nearness? Couldn't she get over him? Apparently, the answer to that fine question was an emphatic "No."

  "Josie? What's wrong?"

  "I need to earn a couple hundred grand in the next four weeks, and I just can't think of a way to do it that won't land me in prison." She opened one eye, for a good view of his knee. "Any suggestions?"

  "Hmm." He sat down next to her and the couch sank under his weight, tipping her toward him.

  She dug her fingers around the pillow and hung on. Rolling up against Evan might be nice if it didn't remind her that she couldn't have him. As it was, it felt like she was trying to keep herself from tumbling off a cliff and could hold on with only her little finger. And she'd never bragged about having strong fingers.

  "Didn't see you this morning." He played with the animals, and she felt his forearm brush against her.

  Jerk. It was like he was teasing her on purpose. "I was avoiding you. Was out the door while you were still lazing around in bed." Oh, brilliant, Josie. Why don't you just tell the enemy all your plans? No need for spies or double agents.

  "Why'd you want to avoid me?"

  "Because..." She could be flippant, or she could tell him she didn't want to see him when she knew she couldn't have him. But that sounded rather like a pathetic stalker, and she was neither pathetic nor a stalker. She was merely a goddess with feelings. Which she was working on eradicating from her soul. Besides, the real reason was that it was all part of her strategic plan. So what if she'd hit a minor kink when the student loan woman had told her she'd missed the deadline?